11. Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
Nila
Wow, she’s pretty.
I stare at the photo of Lacey Reign, Cameron’s ex-girlfriend, and I can’t help but feel ... jealous .
Her Instagram is blowing up—full of tagged posts about the article. But the farther I scroll through her posts, the more I realize that she only just recently gained a lot of her fame.
I wonder if she used the article as a means of climbing the ladder.
It’s a completely feasible explanation, which would mean that Cameron is the victim here. But if that were true, why hasn’t he told me it’s all a lie? Then again, maybe he’s just rocked by the whole thing? I know I would be .
My gaze drifts out to the ice where the team is currently running drills. It’s easy for me to pick out Cameron from the crowd since he’s one of the tallest. Well, that, and my eyes seem to be naturally drawn to him. It’s frustrating how handsome he is, even when he’s wiping the sweat from his brow.
And here I am staring.
Gawking , actually.
I sigh, running my fingers through my hair as I focus my attention back to Lacey’s Instagram. There’s so much here to sift through, though I know I probably shouldn’t. It’s one thing to snoop, but professionally, there’s only so much “research” I can justify before I have to wonder if it’s personal.
I can’t let it be personal.
So, I close out her profile.
My head starts to spin as my mind replays how Cameron gazed down at me last night at the dive bar before everything happened. I wouldn’t have been looking at my phone—let alone opening that article—had I not been searching for a distraction from the way he was softening while I was opening up to him.
I’m not blind to my innate need to keep people out. It’s no secret that ever since my gran passed, I refuse to let people in.
If I don’t let people in, I won’t lose anyone else.
And I won’t get hurt.
But when it comes to Cameron, it’s even more than that.
First, I don’t want to fall for him when I’m only here temporarily. But also—and more importantly—I’m here for a job . If I were to engage in any kind of relationship with him, I could ruin my professional reputation. And I’m finally starting to make a name for myself. Not to mention, his reputation is already a problem.
Ugh.
I look up from my phone and a pair of hazel eyes meet mine from the side of the rink. I catch my breath.
Cameron gets under my skin much too easily .
“Nila,” he calls out, waving me over as the team takes a break.
I shove my phone in my purse and head down the steps, my heart thrumming in my chest. Considering Cameron wasn’t all that friendly when I tried to check on him earlier, I have no idea what to expect from him now.
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” he says, his eyes less red than when he walked in. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he’s been crying.
But you know, it could just be allergies, too.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” I say lightly, giving him a smile. “There’s a lot going on, so I get it.”
“Yeah.” He nods. “So, um, why are you here?”
I tilt my head, confused. “Um, just getting some footage.” Lies, sort of. I mean, sure, I wanted to get footage of Cameron … but it was also a convenient excuse to check on him and see how he was doing since he wouldn’t respond to my text.
He narrows his eyes. “Oh ... I figured that was all on hold right now. ”
“Oh, yeah.” I clear my throat, feeling my face heat up. “It is, but I’m sure it’ll blow over. And when it does, you’ll need some content for the new social media manager. I thought I would help.”
“Right...” His voice trails off as he continues to study my face. “Anyway, I’m gonna grab some dinner before the PR meeting. You wanna go?”
I hesitate, my heart jumping out of my chest at his offer. “Are you asking me out?” I blurt out awkwardly.
Oh no.
His eyes go wide, and I can’t tell if I’ve caught him in the act or embarrassed him by reading more into his question than I should’ve. “Uh...”
“I’m so sorry. I read into that,” I say quickly, brushing him off. “I just wanted to make it clear that this is professional only. I don’t get into relationships with clients.”
“Right, yeah.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I didn’t mean it like that—I meant like, we’re going to the same meeting after this ... and you’ll probably need to eat … and so will I ... so...”
“Yeah, makes sense,” I choke out, hoping he doesn’t notice how red my face is. “I’m actually, um, I’m going to skip it this time.”
“Skip dinner?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Why? ”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. I … ate before I came.” Which isn’t even the truth. I haven’t eaten all day, but I’ve just made things so awkward, I can’t imagine actually going to dinner with him. It would be miserable.
“Oh, I get that. It’s cool. I’ll see you at the meeting, then?”
“For sure,” I say, giving him a forced smile. “I’ll see you then.” My eyes follow him as he skates away and my heart sinks in my chest.
I breathe out a sharp sigh, hating the way I wanted him to be asking me on a date. Even though I know I would’ve refused it (because my rule still stands, I don’t date clients), it’s still nice to be asked...
I head for my purse that I left in the stands, pick it up, and slip out of the rink—opting not to stay for the rest of the practice.
I should’ve thought this through before showing up to check on him.
He has enough going on in his life.
“Well, here we are,” Frankie greets us as we take a seat at the conference table. Her eyes flicker to Cameron. “And thanks for joining us this evening.”
He nods but stays silent .
I take in the sight of him, dressed in one of his Henleys and dark jeans. He has a solemn look on his face, and it pulls at my heartstrings, even though I don’t want it to.
“Okay, let’s hear what everyone has to say.”
“I think we should make a public statement,” Tucker begins. “There’s no sustenance to what Lacey’s claiming. I’ve gone back through everything I have from that time period, and the two of them didn’t even see each other enough to warrant her claims.”
“I disagree,” Mark cuts in. “Simply releasing a statement doesn’t go far enough. I want to be more proactive—show the public that we care.”
“And what’s your suggestion?” Tucker sounds tired.
“I think we should send him to therapy.”
“ Therapy ?!” Cameron explodes. “I don’t need therapy.”
“Those are the words of someone who definitely needs therapy,” Mark shoots him down, his voice sharp. “A therapist will be able to talk to you about everything.”
And then it hits me.
“A therapist could clear your name,” I blurt out.
All eyes focus on me, including Cameron’s. He’s looking at me like I’ve gone crazy.
“Continue,” Frankie says.
“It’s just that … maybe allowing an outside source to weigh in would help clear his name once and for all. I mean, yes, we can put out a statement arguing it, but then it’ll just become a game of he said, she said. An outside perspective might be exactly what he needs.”
“I like where this is going,” Mark speaks up. “Maybe we could send him to some kind of extensive and reputable program.”
“Maybe something that’s focused on anger management,” Frankie offers up. “That would allow for the public to see that he’s been through a course and he passed it—you would pass it, right?” She eyes Cameron.
“Of course, I would,” he says through gritted teeth. “I don’t have anger management problems.”
“That’s debatable,” Mark comments. “It was bad enough you punched someone, but now, you’ve taken two hits. One more and I’ll have no other choice but to cut you from the team. Which is unfortunate, because the playoffs are only a month out.”
Cameron’s face appears pained. “I understand.”
“So, we’ll find a course,” Frankie begins. “Actually, we’ll find one right now. We need the absolute best, so we can get this resolved before the playoffs.”
“I’ll pay for it myself,” Cameron says quietly.
“Good, ’cause we weren’t going to,” Mark snaps.
I glance over to Tucker, who makes a face at me. I make one back, both of us recognizing the tension in the room.
And then I feel Cameron’s eyes on me.
I look over at him, his eyebrow raised at me, but then Tucker leans in and whispers something in his ear. Cameron pulls his gaze from me and focuses on something that Tucker’s now showing him on his phone.
Well, this is awkward.
Mark looks up from his phone. “I think he should go to the Western Slope Anger Retreat. It’s in Southwest Colorado and some major celebrities have completed their program.”
Frankie scribbles something down on a notepad. “I’ll see what they have available.”
“I don’t understand,” Cameron blurts out, his voice laced with frustration. “Isn’t this going to make me look worse? Attending an anger management program is basically admitting that I have a problem. But I don’t. I didn’t even treat Lacey like that.”
My breath hitches. He finally said it himself .
“Yeah, but if we can have a team of professionals confirm that you don’t have anger issues, then we’ll have them release a statement on your behalf. It’ll be a double whammy.”
“She’s right,” I agree with Frankie. “And I’m sure some footage can be taken while you’re there. It’s a little under-the-table tactic, but I think it’ll work. It’s better than pointing the finger at the one who accused you of being a toxic hothead.”
“I’m not a toxic hothead,” Cameron growls, his eyes blazing.
“I didn’t say you were.” I raise a brow. “I said you were being accused of that. ”
“Anyway.” Tucker clears his throat. “We’ll have to check the availability. We don’t have time to waste.”
“Then let’s get started on it,” Frankie says. “My team and I will get everything squared away this evening. The rest of you can call it a night.”
Thank goodness.
I push my chair back from the table along with Mark, Cameron, and Tucker—the only people who don’t have to stay.
“Oh, and Nila.” Frankie stops me in my tracks. “I think you should accompany Cameron on the retreat. I need someone with a stellar eye who understands our goals to take care of the footage—it’s best that it’s you. I’ll pay you for the extended time and cover any expenses.”
“She doesn’t need to go,” Cameron jumps in. “I’ll take pictures on my phone or whatever.”
“I don’t trust you,” Frankie says flatly as we leave the room. “She’s going.”
I’m hit with a pang of sympathy in my chest for Cameron. All these people are being really hard on him. I mean, sure, he’s not perfect, and I get that he’s in a PR mess—but he’s not the one who wrote the article. And he just said so himself that he didn’t treat Lacey badly.
Which is exactly what I’ve been waiting to hear .
So, I’m choosing to believe him.
And I want to do whatever I can to help him get through this .
As we exit the building, Cameron is quiet, his face plagued with fatigue and stress.
“It’s going to be fine.” Tucker pats his shoulder. “Even if you have to miss a couple of games, it’s worth it to stay on the team.”
He nods, glancing over at me. “Sorry about all this. I know it’s a huge pain. You should be moving on to your next job by now…”
I shrug. “No, not yet. I cleared my calendar because I wasn’t sure how long this would take.”
I’m not mad about getting to spend a little more time with Cameron. As colleagues, of course. Or … maybe even friends.
“Well, I hope you like the mountains then,” Cameron jokes dryly.
“It’ll be interesting.” Tucker lets out a sigh.
That’s one way to put it.